For example, from the document U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,153 B2 a shift system is known, which has a spring-loaded shift fork arrangement for engaging various speed ranges in a transmission. For this, the shift fork is mounted to move axially on a shift rail and is operated by an actuating device. By axial displacement of the shift fork a sleeve in active connection with the shift fork is moved so as to engage a desired speed range in the transmission. The shift fork is mounted on the shift rail with a spiral spring designed as a compression spring. In this way the shifting movement of the shift fork is sprung in both directions.
In addition, from the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,080 a similar arrangement is known for actuating a shift fork in a drivetrain of a vehicle. In this arrangement too, the shift fork is mounted on a shift rail with a compression spring. Thus, the shifting movement is again sprung in both directions.
Both of these known arrangements have the disadvantage that owing to the compression spring system used, they take up considerable axial structural space in order to realize the two-directional spring action. Disadvantageously, this also increases the structural space needed for a transmission in which the system is incorporated.